Apparatus for feeding blanks to envelope making or like machines



Dec. 1, 1931. A. WINKLER ET AL APPARATU 3 FOR FEEDING BLANKS TO ENVELOPE MAKING OR LIKE MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 22, 1930 0 o u o o 0 O 0 o o. o o n o w w nu m w w m w m w m INVENTORS A/fied/Wnk/qr ATTORNEY.

Dec. 1, 1931. A. WINKLER ET AL APPARATUS FOR FEEDING BLANKS TO ENVELOPE MAKING OR LIKE MACHINES Filed Sept. 22, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS A/fneof mnk/er A TTORN E Y.

Patented Dec. 1, 1931 UNITED-STATES PAT ALFRED WINKLER AND MAX minnnnmn, or nnuw rnn-on-rnn-nnnin, ornament APPARATUS ron, FEEDJZ G BLANKSSTO nnvnLornnnxlne onjmxn MA HINES Applioation filed September 22, 1930, Serial No. 483,522, and in'eerniany'nu ust 19, 1929. ii

This invention relates to apparatus for feeding blanks to envelope making or like machines, and has for its principal object to provide improved feeding apparatus for drawing the blanks from a stack and for folding the blanks.- v

In accomplishing this and other objects of our invention, we have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in; the accompanying drawings, wherein: 1

Fig. 1 is a planview of feeding embodying our invention. j

Fig; 2 is a verticalsectional View on the line 2 2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View through the indrawing roller particularly illustrating means for regulating effectiveness of the suction area according to Widths of the blanks being employed in the machine, and the valve for timing and controlling suction through the roller. I

F ig.4 is a vertical sectional View through apparatus 4 the feed rollersillustrating the position of the indrawing roller after the suction element of the roller has moved away from a blank being fed intothe forwarding rollers;

Fig. 5 's a sectional view through the valve for timing and controlling effectiveness of the vacuum on the line 55, Fig. 3. 1 -Referring more in detail to the drawings:

' 1 and 2 designate side frames of an envelope makingnachine, and 3 an inclined plate carried by the side frames for supporting a stack of blanks 4 to be fed into the machine as later described.

Formed in the plate and extending crosswise of the machine is a rectangular opening 5 through which the blanks aredrawn from the stack. The stack of blanks is positioned onthe plate in proper relation to the opening by posts 6 which project upwardly from the plate and engage thesides of the blank as shown in Fig. 1.

Rotatablj positioned in the opening 5 is a preferably tubular indrawing roller 7 anda solid counter roller 8, the outer peripheries of which are received in concaves 9 and 10 formed in the walls of the opening so that the effective opening in the plate is reduced to a minimum dimension, thereby relieving tendency ofthe blanks to sag into the opening and between the respectiverollers,

Theindrawing roller 7 is rotatably mounted in the frame members'l and 2, and is driven by a gear 11 meshing with achain of actuating gears 12 forming a part of the env'elope making machine."

w owe-4 The roller 8 is provided witlia gear 13 meshing with an aligning gear 13"on the roller 7, and is rotatably supported in yielding contact therewithf'by arms 14 pivotally mounted on'studs 15 carriedatthe upper ends of brackets 16 which project upwardly from the frame members, as shown in Figs; 1 and '2,and the roller 8 is retained 'inic ontact by coil "springs 17 connected with pins 18' on the brackets 16 and with pins 19 projecting from the arm 14:. a a f i In order to, adjust frictional engagement of the roller 8 withfthe indrawing roller, the brackets 16 are provided with upwardly extendingears 20 for engaging adjustable stop screws 21 threadedly mounted in lugsl22 projecting from the arms 14, the screws 21'being l locked in adjusted position by nuts 23'e1'1f-' gaging'the lugs, as'shown in, Fig.2: Also rotatably mounted on the frames 1 andj2 below the rollers? and '8 are forwarding...

rollers 24. and 25 for advancing the blanks into the machine as laterdescribed." The outer peripheries of the rollers Tend 8 are positioned slightly below the-upper surface of the plate 3 so that they may rotate freely beneath the stack of -blaiiks', and in order that the i'ndrawing'roller may move the lowermost blank from the'stack;*we provide for drawing the-blanki'lito contact with the rollerby vacuum asnow described'fi The ends of the roller? project-beyond the side frames to receive at one end a valve 26 for controlling vacuum therein, a nd. atthe other end the actuating gear 11 previously described. Formed in the/wall of the roller are a plurality of rows of openings' designated 28 covering substantially one-quarter of its circumference and through which the vacuum is"a'pplied to draw" the lowermost blank into engagementWithth'elrblleri h r The valve26 includes 'a bushin 29's'leev'ejd i" 0n the projecting end of the shaft and provided with a slotted port 30 aligning with a complementary port 31 in the roller. Sleeved on the bushing, and preferably fixed thereto by a set screw-32, is a valve housing 83 having a nipple 34 for receiving the end of a conduit 35 connected with a suitable pump (not shown),;for drawing a vacuum in the roller. The housing 33 and bushing 29 are retained on the roller by a disk 36 engaging the end of the housing-=and-seeured to the closed end 37 of the roller by a machine screw 38 extending-throughthe'washer and threaded into a threaded opening 39 in the closed end of the roller.

I Ellhus .it -is apparent that the roller is free ito rotate-within the bushing29, and when the port'3l aligns with the .port 30 awvacuum is drawn throughthe roller and as soon as the aport3l moves outof alignment 'withfthe port r30,ithe vacuum is cut-off fromthe roller.

iMountedzin the oppositeend of the roller 7 is a tubular plug member 40 adapted to be :slidsnuglyinto the 'end ofthe roller to close certain 'oftheopeningsQS not covered by the stack of blanks. .Thejplugmember38 is fixed in adjustedpositionby a set screw 41 extending th10l1gl1c& threaded opening '42 in the hub of @the gear :11 and :through an opening 43 in thecroller tobear. against the plug member. iThe plug memberis a-lsoprovided on its (outer end withzahandle d tto aid in its adj ust- -.-ment.'

Formed in the indra-wing roller .7 on the side-oppositet the openings 28 is a reduced portion 45extending substantially half the circumference and length thereof so that whenithe reduced portion comes into alignment'with. "the forming iroller the surfaces thereof are out of contact with each other and-a space is i formed therebetween to allow .the blank'freemovement between the rollers rasilater described.

.JIn operating :a feeding apparatus constructed and assembled as described, a stack of blanks is positioned on .the plate .3 and supportedithe postsfi. The lug member 40 is thenvadjusted-tolclose certain of the opcnings28inot covered by the blanks. The machine willthen bestarted to. operate the :ieedingrollers;and as soonas the first line of openings.:28 comes into alignment with the lowermost blanklin-thestaek, the ports 30 and 31will-have-registeredtoproduce a vacuum through ithe openingsrQS to drawzthe :blank downwardly into contact with the periphery ofthe-roller. Attention is directed to they :taet that the concavededge a9 =of the plate covers ,theY'rows-o f openings until they are position Ito-move into contact; with the blank, thereby preventing the blankirom being xitrawn'by suctionbetween the edge of the plate and the roller; As the successive rows e-topeningsimove into position :from underzthe plate the vacuum drawn through said rows aids in additionally gripping the blank to the roller.

I Continued rotation of the roller will cause the blank to cup between it and the forming roller so that the blank is engaged therebetween and creased thereby during its feed therethrough into engagement with the forwarding rollers'24 and 25. At thetime the crease formed in the blank is about to be engaged with the forwarding rollers, the reduced portion 45 will come into position to free the blank from engagement with the counter roller to allOW the forwarding rollers to pull the blank therefrom without resistance, due to pressure of the forming roller.

At this point the ports 30 and 31 have moved from alignment to shut oil the vacuum.

' lVhat we'claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Apparatus of the'character described including a support for a stack of blanks and having a delivery opening, apair of rollers rotatably' positioned 1n the opening, means associated with one of the rol ers for creating vacuum to cause the lowermost blank in the stack to engage 'the roller,

and means for rotating the rollers to draw the blank from the .stack one of said. rollers having a reduced portlonvtoflfree the blank from frictional engagement with the rollers during a portion oftheir'rotation.

2. Apparatus of the character described including a support for a stack of blanks, a pair of 'rotatably mounted rollers associated with the support for removing blanks from the stack, mean-s for inducing vacuum in one of the rollers to cause engagement of a-blank with thebroller, andmeans foroperating the rollers to draw the blanks from the stack, one of said rollers having a reduced segmental portion to free the blanks from driving engagement with the rollers during part of their movement.

' '3. Apparatus of the character described including a plate forsupporting a stack of blanks, a tubular indrawing roller having a plurality of apertures extending through the wall thereof, a linefor inducing vacuum in the interior of the roller to draw a blank .to the roller, a valve for controlling communication between the vacuum line. and the roller,1neans for actuating the roller to withdraw a blank from the bottom of thestack, and a counter roller associated with the indrawing roller, one of said rollers having a reduced segmental portion to freethe blank during part of their rotation. v 7

4. Apparatus of the character described including a plate for supporting xa stack of blanks, a tubular indrawingroller having a segmental portion provided with a plurality of apertures extending throughits walland having a-.reducedvsegmental'portion, a vacuum line in communicationwith .the interior oithe roller, avalve for controlling communication between the vacuum line and the interior of the roller, a counter roller in yielding contact with the indrawin g roller, and means for actuating the rollers to withdraw a blank and fold it between the rollers.

5. In apparatus of the character described including means for supporting a stack of blanks, a pair of rollers associated with the supporting means and having peripheral contact through a portion of their rotation for folding a blank, vacuum means associated with one of the rollers for drawing the blank v into contact with one of the rollers, means for actuating the rollers, and means for drawing the folded blank from the rollers at the time the peripheries of said rollers are out of contact.

6. In apparatus of the character described including a plate for supporting a stack of blanks, a tubular indrawing roller having a plurality of apertures extending through a segmental portion of the wall of the roller and having a reduced segmental portion, a vacuum line in communication with the inte rior of the roller, a valve actuated by the roller for controlling communication between the vacuum line and the interior of the roller, means asso-fiated with the indrawing roller to fold the blank and means for actuating the roller to withdraw a. blankfrom the bottom of the stack.

7. In apparatus of the character described including a. plate for supporting a stack of blanks, a tubular indrawing roller having a plurality of apertures extending through the wall of the roller, a vacuum line in communication with the interior of the roller, means for rendering certain of the apertures ineffective, a valve actuated by the roller for controlling communication between the vacuum line and theinterior of the roller, and means for actuating the roller to withdraw blank from the bottom of the stack.

8. In apparatus of the character described, a support for a stack of blanks, a pair oi.

, rotary members associated with the support and eiiective to draw a blank therebetween during part of their rotation, a vacuum line communicating with one of the members to cause a vacuum to draw a blank into engagement with said member to carry it between the members to effect an initial fold, and means adjacent said membersto engage the fold of the blank during the ineffective part of their rotation for withdrawing the blank from between said members.

9. In apparatus of the character described, a support for a stack of blanks, a pair of rotary members associated with the support and effective to draw a blank therebetween during part of their rotation, a vacuum line communicating with one of the members to cause a vacuum to draw a blank into engagement with said member to carry it between the members to effect an initial fold, means adjacent said members to engage the fold of the blank during the ineffective part of their rotation for withdrawing the blank from between said members, and valve means timed with the rotary members to shut off the vacuum when the blank is about to be engaged' by said engaging means.

10. In apparatus of the character described including a support for a stack of blanks, a

hollow rotary indrawing member having a segmental portion provided with a plurality of apertures arrangedlongitudinallyof the segmental portion, a vacuum line in com- .munication with the rotary member to effect a vacuum through said apertures to draw a blank mto contact with the rotary member, means for rendering certain of the apertures ineliective, a'valve operable in timed relation with said rotary member to control the vacuumyand means for actuating said rotary member.

11. In apparatus of the character described, a support for a stack of blanks, a

hollow rotary member having a segmental portion provided with a plurality of rows of apertures, means associated with the support for covering said apertures until they come into position with the stack, a vacuum line communicating with said rotary member to draw a vacuum through the apertures for drawing a blank into contact withthe roller, a counter rotary member associated with the hollow rotary member to crease the blank therebetween, and means for shutting oif the vacuum after the crease is formed.

12. In apparatus of the character described, a support for a stack of blanks, a hollow rotary member having a segmental portion provided with a plurality of rows of apertures, means associated with the support for covering said apertures until they come into position with a stack, a vacuum line communicating with said rotary member to draw a vacuum through the apertures for drawing a blank into contact with the roller, a

counter rotary member associated with the hollow rotary member to crease the blank therebetween, means for shutting off the vacuum after the crease is tormed and forwarding rollers for engaging the blank to withdraw it from between said rotary members.

13. In apparatus of the character de-' with during part of the rotation of said memhere to crease the blank, means for shutting off the vacuum after the crease is formed and forwarding rollers for engaging the blank to withdraw it from between said rotary members during the ineffective part of the rotation.

.14. In apparatus of the character described including a plate for supporting a stack of blanks and having'a deliveryopening provided with a concave edge, a hollow indrawing roller having a plurality of apertures extending through the wall-thereof and positioned in the delivery opening so that the 'concaved edge of the opening is adapted to cover said apertures, means for inducing a vacuum in the roller to. cause engagement of a blank with the roller, a counter roller 00- operating with the indrawing roller to fold the blank, and means for operating the rollers.

I In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

- 7 ALFREIQ WINKLER.

MAX DUNNEBIER. 

